Page 49 of Relentless Hearts

Willow twisted to look at her brothers. “Why is that?”

Denver chuckled. “Couldn’t wreck my face for wedding day. I have to look my best for photos.” He and Rhae locked gazes in that lovey-dovey way that couples had right before they tied the knot. Willow had seen it with Carson and Layne, and again with Oaks and Shiloh.

Gray slipped into a seat beside Honor. “Some of us got hurt trying to protect Denver.” He jerked a thumb at their brother.

To avoid any questions about what happened after she left the Rusty Spur, she twisted back to her eggs.

After the guys ate, they went straight to work.

At last, Willow settled with her coffee and a plate of eggs and toast.

Aspen studied her. “Were you in the bar when the fight started?”

She swallowed a bite of egg, wishing she could stuff her mouth full to avoid answering. “Decker got me out of there when the fight broke out.” She shifted her stare to Honor. “We took Felicity home too.”

Honor gave her a grateful smile. “Thank goodness. She’s already going through enough with her business. She didn’t need to be caught up in a bar fight.”

“You said you took Felicity home. But Decker brought you home too?” Juliette’s eyes twinkled a little too much.

“Yes.” Willow sipped her coffee.

“To the ranch house,” Juliette said carefully.

“Well…” Willow’s cheeks burned. “Eventually.”

The explosion of female voices was immediate.

“Oh my God!”

“Finally!”

“I knew it!”

“About damn time!”

“What are we talking about?” Carson’s voice made Willow jump as he wandered in to refill his mug.

“Nothing you need to know about.” Layne shooed him out of the kitchen. “This is girl talk.”

Once her brother’s footsteps faded, all attention turned back to Willow, who was desperately wishing she could disappear into the floor.

“Okay, spill,” Layne demanded. “And don’t you dare try to deny what we all know happened.”

“I don’t kiss and tell.” Willow’s grin threatened to split her face in half.

“We’re just excited to hear about some fresh blood. We don’t really want to hear about each other’s love lives. We’re all related and that’s just weird.” Juliette laughed.

“And we’ve been watching you two dance around each other for months,” Layne pointed out. “The tension was getting ridiculous.”

From Rhae’s lap, Navy babbled something that sounded suspiciously like agreement.

“See? Even Navy thinks it was about time.” Everyone laughed at Rhae’s sentiment.

Willow buried her face in her hands, half mortified and half deliriously happy. “You’re all terrible.”

“We’re invested in your happiness,” Honor corrected. “There’s a difference.”

This was her family, in all their nosy, protective, loving glory. It felt good to have something wonderful to be teased about.